Slovakia's cyclist and current World Champion Peter Sagan, riding for the Bora-Hansgrohe team, has been disqualified from the Tour de France for "seriously endangering" another cyclist, after sending Mark Cavendish into the barriers in the final sprint of stage four on Tuesday. After the stage, Sagan was initially given a 30 second penalty and had 80 points deducted for the green jersey, but was then disqualified after the jury analysed the video of the incident. Speaking to media after the verdict, Sagan said that he had apologised to Cavendish, but also stated that he felt innocent as he was unable to react to the incident. Sagan's explanation for extending his right elbow into Cavendish's path - as the Briton was speeding up alongside the Slovak - was that he was just trying to stay upright. Cavendish, the winner of 30 Tour stages, sustained a broken right shoulder blade and withdrew from the race. However, he stated that he bore no hard feelings toward Sagan, and that his actions did not appear malicious. In a video posted on his social media profile, Sagan let his fans know that he was also content with the decision.
However, the incident as well as the final verdict of jury has stirred massive reactions on social media from fans and cyclists alike - both retired and those still in the peloton of Le Tour. Cyclists such as Jens Voigt, Lance Armstrong, Christian Vande Velde, Bob Roll, as well as Sagan's competitor André Greipel stated that the verdict was too harsh. Trending on the social media is also the hashtag #NoSaganNoTour.
